Former Titan hospitalized after car crash

Created 01/22/2008 - 1:13pm

Former Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Rien Long is in critical condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center after being involved in a single-car accident just before midnight in downtown Nashville Monday.

Long, 26, drove his 2005 Ford Mustang onto I-40 from the Broadway ramp at a high speed, according to a statement from Metro Nashville Police.

As the Mustang approached the bottom of the ramp, it went into a clockwise slide, left the roadway, traveled up an embankment, and collided with a rock wall on the driver’s side. The car then rolled over and fell back to the roadway, landing on its roof.

A passenger in the car, Wesley Stephens, 28, of Nashville, was transported to Vanderbilt with non-critical injuries.

The investigation to this point shows that excessive speed is the contributing factor to the crash.

The Titans issued the following statement regarding Long’s injury.

“We are aware of Rien’s accident and several members of the organization visited him last night. We would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to Rien and his family during this difficult time. Any questions about his condition will be handled by the hospital and Rien’s family,” the statement said.

Long was a fourth-round pick of the Titans in 2003 out of Washington State where he had won the Outland Trophy his junior season.

Long played three seasons with the team before suffering a torn right Achilles tendon in training camp in 2006. Long rehabbed the injury, but had complications that delayed his progress. He attempted to make a comeback in 2007, but was waived/injured just before the start of the regular season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Long was in the process of attempting to resurrect his football career, as he had recently had a tryout with the Cleveland Browns.